Headed to Villanova

Scott Barrett Daily News staff writer

Saturday

Jul 1, 2017 at 12:01 AMJul 1, 2017 at 12:30 AM

BARRINGTON — At 15 years old, Cole Swider boarded a RIPTA bus and traveled from his home in Portsmouth to St. Andrew’s School in Barrington. After a day of classes was basketball, and on game days, he didn’t get home until nearly 11 p.m. Then came at least a few hours of homework.

The next day, he was back on that bus at dawn.

Those were the types of sacrifices Swider made in an attempt to become the best high school basketball player he could be. On Friday afternoon, in a packed Sage Gymnasium on the campus of St. Andrew’s, those sacrifices paid off.

Swider, the 6-foot-8 junior forward, announced he will attend Villanova University, choosing the Wildcats over Duke, Syracuse and Xavier.

“It was all worth it. I would do it over again,” Swider said after posing for dozens of photographs and receiving twice as many well-wishes.

Swider said the relationship he built with Villanova coach Jay Wright, who led the program to the national title in 2016, is what helped him make his decision. He fielded more than 30 scholarship offers and met with coaches Mike Krzyzewski of Duke, Jim Boeheim of Syracuse and Chris Mack of Xavier, as well as Wright, once he narrowed his decision to four. Ultimately, though, he chose the Big East school outside of Philadelphia.

“The relationship that I built with the coaching staff and the relationship that Jay Wright and me have, I just couldn’t see myself playing for anybody else,” Swider said. “At the end of the day, I knew that was the best decision for me. Others may not agree, but I knew I felt it when I went down there for the second time.”

Swider’s parents, Jenny and Jeff, both of whom played Division I college basketball, were impressed with how their son handled himself throughout the recruiting process, which is a bit more intense in the social media era.

“It was really surreal for us to meet with some of these icons, and then them wanting to recruit our son, that they love everything about him,” said Jeff Swider, who watched last week’s NBA draft with Cole and his wife alongside Krzyzewski.

The stands inside the gymnasium were filled Friday, and television cameras and reporters surrounded a table that adorned the St. Andrew’s logo. A short video was shown before Swider thanked everyone for coming. Then, wearing a red St. Andrew’s basketball shirt, he said, “I want to announce that I will be attending Villanova University,” as the assembled crowd erupted.

In the video that was shown, with Swider narrating, he expressed his love for his hometown and how proud he was to be from Portsmouth. It was tough for him to leave behind his friends — many of whom were in attendance on Friday — when he transferred to St. Andrew’s.

“He always says that, ‘My home is Portsmouth and I’m in the 401,’ and he means it,” Jenny Swider said. “He says that we’re not the basketball Mecca, but (Rhode Island) is home. And you look around the gym and see so many Portsmouth families, that means so much to us. Even though Cole came to St. Andrew’s, he never left his friends in Portsmouth.”

That also factored into his decision. Swider seriously considered attending Providence College, but will return to the Dunkin’ Donuts Center once a season while playing for fellow Big East member Villanova. The Wildcats also play at St. John’s in New York and Seton Hall in New Jersey. Portsmouth to Philadelphia is about a five-hour trip.

“The Big East makes a lot of sense for us,” Jeff Swider said. “Us being able to see his games in Philadelphia, New York, that played a big part. He’s the oldest of four (children), so he understands the challenges we have, logistically.”

Swider played his freshman season at Portsmouth High School before making the leap to the private school with a rich basketball tradition. He recalled his first meeting with St. Andrew’s coach Mike Hart, who helped develop such players as Notre Dame star Bonzie Colston and NBA guard Michael Carter-Williams.

“When I first came to St. Andrew’s and I sat in Coach Hart’s office, he told me that if I work hard that I can achieve everything I want to achieve,” Swider said. “When he told me that, that’s when I really started thinking that all of this was possible.”

This past season, Swider was named the Gatorade boys basketball Player of the Year for Rhode Island while averaging 26.5 points for the Saints. For the past few years, as his stock has risen, he has played with the Boston Amateur Basketball Club, one of the top AAU programs in the country.

Hart said after Friday’s announcement there really is no ceiling for Swider, one of the top shooting forwards in the country.

“He’s walking into a good situation because their style of play is very similar to ours,” Hart said of Villanova. “They are very perimeter-oriented and defensive-minded. Cole is a good defensive player, but by the time he gets there, he’s going to be a great defensive player. That’s how focused he is. I think he’s going to have a great career for them.”

Swider still has one more season at St. Andrew’s, but the recruiting process is officially over. Next year, it’s off to Villanova.

“We’re thankful for all of the people who played a big part, especially Coach Hart, the people who have been part of his development, both as a young man and a player,” Jeff Swider said. “We’ve really been blessed.”

Barrett@NewportRI.com

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